Terminated in 2005 (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Zhan Feng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Starting from the gain and loss of land, the novel depicts the unique lives of farmers in the prosperous areas of the Pearl River Delta. With the grandeur of an epic and the radiance of human nature, it illuminates the diverse pains and emotions, including sexuality, experienced by five generations of a family over a century in their struggles with land. This is the greatest highlight of the novel. Few countries have witnessed, in just over half a century, such a tempestuous period around land that gave rise to both a fervent revolution and a shocking reform, ultimately resulting in land being nationalized and farmers becoming urban residents—a peak achievement in urban development. In the process, a village with a history of over 600 years, already wealthy and prosperous, came to an end. The emotions and conflicts that emerged are unprecedented and irreproducible, perhaps even untouched by any other writer. They belong solely to the people nurtured by that land, the specific regional culture, and the long-standing heritage. This is precisely what readers unfamiliar with this way of life might expect and is also the greatest feature of the novel.